1. Field of the Inventions
The field of the invention relates generally to over-the-air programming of mobile subscriber units and more particularly to termination of over-the-air programming calls.
2. Background Information
Wireless carriers often provide services beyond voice communications in order to provide additional services, conveniences, and features to the mobile phone subscriber. Over-the-air (OTA) programming of a mobile subscriber units, including mobile phones, has become a common method of supplementing services with additional functionality and convenience. The term “mobile subscriber unit” is intended to refer to mobile phones, wireless enabled Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), laptops or other handheld devices, or any other devices that can be used for wireless communications.
An example of OTA programming in a CDMA network is over-the-air parameter administration (OTAPA), which is governed by the IS-683A standard. An OTAPA call is often initiated by the service provider and can be invoked when parameters to an existing mobile subscriber unit need to be updated.
Another example of OTA programming in a CDMA network is over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP), which is also governed by the IS-683A standard. OTASP is used to provide a method to activate a new subscriber for wireless service. In a conventional service provisioning, a customer would purchase a mobile subscriber unit and go to an activation center. A service provider would establish a user profile, Number Assignment Module (NAM), International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), Roaming Lists and optionally, service and manufacturer specific parameters. In addition, an authentication key and generation procedure can be established. The same service can be provisioned using OTASP, however, in order to reduce costs to the service provider and to make the process more convenient for the customer.
In a typical OTASP provisioning scenario, a customer contacts a service provider either through the use of a different mobile subscriber unit or using an IS-683A OTASP dialing scheme. The customer can supply sufficient information to verify credit worthiness. The mobile subscriber unit then initiates an over-the-air programming call and a service can be provisioned over-the-air.
Though OTAPA and OTASP are given as two significant methods of OTA programming, there are other possibilities for OTA programming, such as synchronization of tones, programming of new ring tones, etc. Furthermore, OTA programming is not restricted to CDMA networks. It should be kept in mind, however, that OTA programming can be network initiated, e.g., OTAPA, or user initiated, e.g., OTASP.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary OTA programming process. First in, step 100 the OTA programming session is initiation. Again, initiation can be controlled by the service provider as is the case for an OTAPA call. After initiation in step 100, a mutual authentication of both the service provider and the mobile subscriber unit can occur as shown in step 102. In step 104, the programming of a parameter, profile, or other data can then take place. If multiple parameters, profiles, or data are to be programmed, then the process can return to step 104. Once programming is complete, the OTA programming session is concluded in step 108. In step 110, the service provider then terminates the call by releasing the allocated communication channel.
Under certain conditions, however, it has been observed that the OTA call may not properly terminate. This can occur, for example, either because the mobile subscriber unit is not informed that the OTA call has concluded, or because the service provider does not properly initiate the release of the communication channel. During this period, the service provider perceives the mobile subscriber unit to be in use, which can prevent the subscriber from receiving calls. For example, because parameter administration or other OTA functions, can occur without the subscriber being aware, i.e., when the OTA session is network initiated, there can be no indication on the mobile subscriber unit informing the subscriber that an OTA session is occurring. Alternatively, the indication can be transient and the subscriber may not see it. As a result, if the OTA-session does not terminate properly and the communication channel is still in use, then the subscriber may unknowingly miss incoming calls. Additionally, the subscriber will be unable to initiate a call until the mobile subscriber unit releases the communication channel used for the OTA call. Battery power is also being drained needlessly while the subscriber unit remains on the communication channel. Since battery power is a precious resource in mobile communication devices, this can be a significant drawback.